NIGHTJOHN is the story of Sarny, a slave girl, and John, a man who comes to her home. John has escaped and been free in the north, but now he has returned to teach slaves to read. He has been captured by Waller, the slave owner, and now he teaches Sarny letters.

All of this is happening against a terrible background of abuse. At times, NIGHTJOHN is shocking in its candid look at the cruelty of slavery. Women who reach the age of "the troubles" are sent to the breeding shed, where they are tied down. One woman is whipped brutally and left to have maggots lay eggs in her cuts. An older woman is stripped and made to wear a harness and pull the cart. A man has two toes brutally chopped off with a chisel. All of this may seem excessive, but it is not by any means presented in a sensational way. These are things that happened on plantations, and they were horrible.

NIGHTJOHN is a hard book to read. It is not sugar coated. But, it is not all torture and pain. John escapes and returns in the night to get Sarny and take her to a "pit school". Here, he will teach her and others to read and write. He believes it is that important and sets the wheels in motion. This book will really make the reader think about the power of words.

The story is told from Sarny's point of view and it is written as she might have spoken. The dialect may be difficult for children at first, but as the story progresses, it becomes easier. Many questions are raised by NIGHTJOHN and it seems to be a good candidate for read-aloud. Children will need to be able to ask questions and to share feelings as they hear this book. NIGHTJOHN is a frightening journey into the real world of slavery in the United States.